


Never Too Late

by TheOrgasmicSeke



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Events, Alternate Universe, I just needed to write this or reasons I can not explain, M/M, Post-Sburb/Sgrub, a lot of feelings, some blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2018-02-08 22:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1958463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOrgasmicSeke/pseuds/TheOrgasmicSeke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was not worth losing. None of them were worth losing. We never wanted to win the game like this. We were supposed to open that door together... But we never would have thought they would be waiting for us on the other side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Too Late

**Author's Note:**

> I have no explanation for this. I was having feelings that I needed to write out and thus you get this. I blame [this song](http://youtu.be/UbBF2-gATSE) and [this one](http://youtu.be/6qOvNgEsZ9s) as well. 
> 
> I'm not sure of it's purpose. It's just there. It's not up to par with what I usually write but I needed to get this out. I hope it's not too crappy.
> 
> I just needed an emotional break from the pretty warm atmosphere of WITS. I'll get back to that soon, though.
> 
> p.s. I also did not beta this. I'll come back later to do it when my mental state can handle it.

_Time has run out for me..._

_So goodbye, and I'll miss you_

_And I'm sorry... but this is my fate._

_Don't cry over me._

_I'm not worth any tears._

* * *

The world spun, the wind blowing white puffy clouds around a vast blue sky that surrounded the one solid rock platform in the entire universe. Eleven figures stood on that small platform, smushed together in a crescent shape, all facing the large looming door at the edge of the rock. The door itself appeared to be just a normal door. The knob was a sparkling gold that just begged to be turned yet no one moved to do so.

The game had been won.

But at what costs?

Few thought the costs were worth the outcome.

With a sharp intake of breath, John stepped forward, his blue god tier garb covered in red blood that was certainly not his own. Nor did it belong to any other human. He chewed on his lower lip for a moment, glancing between the door and the solemn faces of his _friends_. They were all his friends.

It took a moment before Dave stepped up beside his best bro, tapping his knuckles against his shoulder in an attempt at some form of comfort. The soft smile he received for his effort didn't please either of them. It was too broken. Too... not John. Really, they were all broken in some way. The game stole everything from them. All they had left was each other and _whatever_ was behind that door.

Yet no one could bring themselves to open it.

Jade, with legs much too weak, clung to Jake, who had a protective arm around her. Her face buried in his chest and his lips pulled back into the tightest frown, with green eyes that refused to actually focus on anything. Dirk stood at his side, a hand on the taller's shoulder though he was leaning on the dark-haired male just as much as Jade was. His other arm was around Roxy, who held a shaking Jane against her side.

Rose stood as a medium. One hand holding her bio-mother/daugher's hand that was around Jane's back while the other was intertwined with Kanaya's. The trolls were less obvious with their pain. They didn't lean on one another but the obvious spaces between them were meant for someone else. Sollux stood a few feet from Kanaya, his arms crossed over his chest and his bottom lip pulled back by sharp fangs. Terezi was at his side, not even a foot away, her cane pressed gently against his foot. Her stance mirrored hers, though there were turquoise streaks down her grey cheeks.

Gamzee stood behind the three trolls, his tall lanky form a constant reminder of the smaller, rounder form missing from his side. His face paint was long gone, revealing the three jagged scars over his face though it was obvious he did not care. Gamzee didn't care about anything any more. His arms dangled at his sides, one fist clenching the broken colorful weapon of his lost moirail while the other dangled uselessly. His eyes were narrow, his lips pulled back in a snarl but he was no threat. Karkat had made sure of that before he...

Pain welled up in John's chest and he quickly had to look away from the lanky troll, closing his eyes tightly. It was too much to bear. For any of them. The trolls lost so many but no one ever expected... No one ever thought they would lose _him._ They weren't supposed to lose him... Not him. Not anyone!

_"Just shut your gogaweful trap and let me, fuck," The troll gasped softly, his claws clinging into John's shirt, ripping at the cloth, not that the human cared. "Let me fucking speak."_

_"But Karkat, Jane! We have to, Jane." The human snapped his head around, searching, praying that she was near._

_"Fucking, damnit John." Karkat groaned, claws digging into skin to catch the humans' attention. Bright blue, filled with tears that had yet to fall met those strange yellow orbs. "I'm not a scrambling wiggler, John. This is how it is, okay. Fucking christ." He pressed his free clawed hand to the bubbling mess that had once been his stomach. His face contorted in pain and all John could focus on was finding Jane. She'll save Karkat. She can save him._

_"No, it's not! We're not... I'm not losing you, okay?" John snapped back, tears finally falling from his eyes as he held the troll against him._

_Karkat managed a chuckle that turned into a coughing fit. Blood splattered from his mouth, dripping over his chin to land against John's shirt. The human tugged the troll into his lap, holding him close in a futile attempt to... Well John wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything anymore._

_"You've got important shit to do." Karkat grumbled, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve, not even caring how close he was to the human. "There's still a battle going on."_

_John shook his head, ignoring the sounds of his friends fighting. Ignoring everything around them. Because Karkat... Not Karkat. Why him? It wasn't fair!_

_Something akin to sympathy crossed Karkat's face before it was gone, replaced by the anger the troll was so well-known for. "Don't be a bulgeblistering idiot, Egbert!" He growled, wincing at the pain it caused him. "They still need you. So get off your worthless rump and help them, gogdamnit."_

_"I... I'm not leaving you, Karkat."_

_The troll opened his mouth to say something but he snapped it shut, eyes glancing at the looming figure behind the human. John glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the lanky purple-bloodied troll lunge at him. Using the wind, John shot into the sky, taking Karkat with him as the enraged troll snarled up at them._

_"Fucking-Let me down!" Karkat hissed and snarled in pain against the human's chest. "Let me-fuck-let him have me. Fucking do it, John. Now."_

_Not willing to argue with the dying troll, John dropped back down and reluctantly released Karkat. The troll couldn't even stand on his own legs and when he moved to collapse, Gamzee was there in an instant. John was in the air quickly enough to avoid the swiping of claws at his body just as Gamzee caught the mutant troll. Karkat's head lulled into Gamzee's collar, a hand coming up to pap against his cheek. John didn't have a chance to see what happened after that and he was a little okay with not having to watch Karkat die._

The warm hand on his shoulder made him jump sightly, the recent memory fading from his mind as his eyes met the bright red of his best friend. Dave's eyes were tired, outlined in red due to his own emotional state but he was _trying_. He was _trying_ so hard for John. Karkat had meant a lot to Dave. They spent three years on a meteor together. It wasn't surprising that Dave was effected so hard but he was keeping it together because someone had to.

"Door." Dave spoke softly, his chapped lips hardly moving as he slipped the shades back down over his eyes before turning toward said door. "You should open it."

John was silent for a moment, staring at the door with tear filled eyes. "Why...?"

Dave's lips twisted, a frown forming. "Someone has to. We can't just stand around here forever. Somethings gotta fucking happen and you lead us here." They both visibly flinched at the weight behind those words. The blonde's expression softened as he turned to the other. "It should be you."

"I..." John swallowed hard, glancing over his friends. Few were paying attention and those that were, Dirk and Rose, all nodded in agreement. He sniffed softly, turning back to stare at the door. "We were... supposed to do it together..." He mumbled, making Dave flinch beside him. Something hard formed in John's chest as he inhaled deeply and just stared at the door.

It took a solid five minutes for the blue clad god to finally move again. He took a deep breath and held it as he stepped toward the door. His friends shifted behind him, raising their heads to watch as he came to a stop. A shaking hand reached for the knob and he paused, closing his eyes tightly. _You were supposed to be here with me. I'm not supposed to do this alone... You shouldn't... I'm sorry, Karkat. I'm so sorry I never got to tell you..._

His shoulders slumped slightly, tears coming from his eyes as he grabbed the knob and ripped the door open in one quick tug. The world was suddenly enveloped in white and then there was nothing. Not even them any longer.

* * *

A new world. Not a perfect world but a new world nonetheless. A world much like their old one and honestly, they could not see much difference at all. It was their world. The same world. Yet different somehow. Perhaps because they each held memories of a game that no one else knew of. The game was a reality and the world they created together was supposed to be sanctuary.

But the trolls were gone. Perhaps they got their world back, no one really knew. They were just gone.

Jake, Dirk, Roxy and Jane came to live in a different world than the one they had grown up in. A much more peaceful place. They did not understand at first, but though they lived through the game, the new world also held a home for them.

Dave and Dirk were brothers, one older than the other. As were Roxy and Rose. Jake and Jade, cousins. Jane and John as well. They held memories of a childhood they never actually lived through, along with the memories of their previous life and the game. It was a strange thing to come to terms with, but slowly, over time, they came to accept their place in this new world.

* * *

TG: of course its weird

TG: its gonna stay weird

TG: just shit we have to get used to

EB: i don't even know if i can dave

TG: you dont have a motherfucking choice in the matter

EB: :(

TG: dont give me that damn face

TG: you aint the only one with issues here egbert

TG: i got a new crazy ass brother to deal with

EB: how is dirk by the way?

TG: eh you know

TG: adjusting

EB: and... how are you?

TG: motherfucking wonderful

EB:.........

EB: i miss him too

TG: yeah

EB: hey dave?

TG: sup

EB: i um

EB: I think that i...

EB: I loved him.

TG: i know

TG: still do bro

EB: yeah...

EB: yeah i still do...

* * *

"I'm so proud of you, son."

John flinched at the softly spoken words but forced a smile for his father. A father he'd once lost. But no, that was the past. Another reality. _This_ was reality. So John had to continuously remind himself. He forced a smile, adjusting the black frames on his face as he stood up straight. "Thanks, Dad."

The man smiled, identical blue eyes sparkling as he placed a warm hand on his son's shoulder. "I really am. You've worked so hard to go to college and it is finally happening."

John snorted softly, not bothering to shrug his father's hand off. He'd come to respect his father much more after the game. And though that time was such a long time ago, it was still fresh. The feelings, the pain, the looses. Still fresh. John wasn't willing to make the same mistakes twice. "I am pretty excited."

"As you should be!" The man released his son so he could grab the trunk of the blue car and close it. "Are you _sure_ you don't want me to come with you?"

John laughed softly, shaking his head as he stepped toward his father. "I can handle this."

"You've grown up so fast." Heavy hands landed on his shoulders as his father peered into his eyes.

He laughed softly, reaching up to pat his father's sides. "Yeah, but I'm not going anywhere. I'll just be in the city. I'll visit as often as I can, I promise."

"That's my boy." And then he pulled him in for a tight hug that John was happy to return.

SU was smack dab in the middle of the city. John was hoping to study biology there and get his life on track. He couldn't dwell in the past fr the rest of his life. They had a new world, a beautiful world, and they could do their best in it. John planned to do just that. Going to college was the first big step in doing so. PLus, Dave would be there. Dave was already there. Flew in two days ago to get their apartment ready. Said apartment that John's father was paying for though the raven haired male fully intended on getting a job to take over the rent.

Either way, it was a fresh start to their lives. For both Dave and John. They needed the get away more than they would ever admit. Plus, getting to live with their best bro was the greatest perk ever.

* * *

John collapsed onto his bed with a sigh, his face burying in his pillow as he curled up on his side. It had been a particularly hard day for him. A month into school and he was already considering if it was right for him. Dave wasn't the college type either but he hadn't come to Seattle for college. He came for John.

He sighed softly, rolling over onto his back as he stared up at the ceiling of his neat bedroom. He hated the days when everything reminded him of what once was. All it took was one thing to remind him of the game and he was in a sour mood for the rest of the day, stuck focusing on the things he had done and those things that he could never change.

"Damnit..." He mumbled softly, snatching his glasses off his face to throw an arm over his eyes. A familiar pain curled up in chest, filling the hole that was always there. A hole that could never be permanently filled because the one who filled it was gone. John always wondered what was worse... Witnessing the person you love die in a game you had no control over, or having that lover be alive and healthy, but then ripped from your fingers and was now god knows where. It was a conversation he had often with Rose and both had come to the conclusion that one was not worse than the other. They were both bonecrushingly horrible and would stick with them for the rest of their lives.

A knock on his door and he was sitting up right at surprising speed. "Dude, you in there?"

John swallowed hard, quickly wiping tears from his eyes before shoving his glasses back on. "Yeah." He called back, moving to sit on the edge of his bed just as Dave opened the door. "What's up?"

The blonde had grown over the years, but still didn't reach John's tall stature. His features sharpened out however and it was really not surprise to John that Dave turned out to be the more attractive one. At least, in his opinion.

Dave leaned against the door frame, red-clad arms crossed over his chest as he peered at John through familiar shades. "Dinner."

"Ah, right." He moved to his feet, flashing his friend a smile as he moved to go past him.

But Dave stopped him, blocking his path as he pushed the shades up to peer at him with bright red eyes. John tensed, his smile faltering as his best bro glared up at him, red searching blue. After a moment, Dave found what he was looking for and leaned out of John's personal bubble was replacing his shades.

"Let's go out."

"Where?"

The blonde shrugged one shoulder. "Pizza?"

"Oh, yeah, Let's go to Papa's!" John's mood lifted slightly.

Dave's lips quirked into a soft smile. "Come on then."

John was no fool. He knew Dave could tell. He knew Dave could see his pain and was just trying to cheer him up by taking him to his favorite pizza place. Dave would never admit it, of course, but that was how the blonde worked. John wasn't sure why Dave put so much effort in cheering him up when he was suffering just as much but sometimes he thought that Dave cheering him up, cheered the blonde up just as much. And so John was okay with that.

"Are you a crotchblistering idiot?" A snarl caught John's attention, his feet coming to a stop right outside their apartment complex. Dave paused as well, glancing around John's body to see where the shout came from. "I swear to christ, this fucking world is full of nothing but grubfucking morons!"

Something swelled in John's heart, his breath coming to a stop at the figure making a fuss a few feet away. Said figure was flailing his arms for a moment before he dropped to his knees to pick up the books that had been knocked from his hands. The person who accidentally bumped into him quickly scurried off with a hurried sorry, leaving the male to himself on the sidewalk. His skin was a natural pale, his hair a shaggy ginger mess of curls. His face was round, high cheek bones, button nose, freckles over said nose and Dave didn't even have a chance to stop the raven haired male from running off.

"Karkat!" His voice was hurried, hopeful, and a gasp as he ran at the male who was still on the ground.

His head snapped up, his oddly crimson eyes narrowing at the strange figure running toward him. "The fuck do you want?!" He hissed, lips curling over human teeth.

John skidded to a halt a few feet away from the male who paused in picking up his things. "You... Oh. Um."

"Who the everloving shitfuck are you?"

"I... Um... I'm... John." He stood still, his fingers twitching at his sides as he looked down at the male that couldn't actually be _his_ Karkat.

Those crimson eyes narrowed, a snarl on his lips. "Good for you. What the fuck do you want?"

"I... I'm sorry." He shook his head suddenly, the pit of despair growing in his stomach when he came to the realization that this _wasn't_ Karkat. Karkat was a troll. This was a human being. No matter how much he... Looked like the troll. Even had the scowl down perfectly. "I-I mistook you for someone else."

The male hissed, quickly gathering his books in his hands before he moved to his feet. Same height too. "You know some unlucky bastard with the same name and face as me? Fucking hell to him then."

"W-Wait." John gasped suddenly, reaching out to grasp the male's arm and thoroughly caused said male to flip out a bit.

"The fuck?" He slapped that pale hand away and took a step back, crimson eyes narrowing.

"S-Sorry, I just. Your name's Karkat?"

"What of it?" He raised his chin in a challenging manner that _screamed_ the troll John once knew. But... It couldn't be... could it?

"Dude's got one hell of an attitude." Dave suddenly spoke, leaning an arm on John's shoulder as he gave the redhead a good once over. "You sure this ain't the same person?"

"The everloving fuck are you two going on about?" The redhead snapped, clutching the books to his black sweater clad chest. "I've never met you in my life."

Blue met red through lenses before the two nodded. "Right, well, Sorry about all this. Um, I'm John! John Egbert, and this is Dave Strider. We live in that building." He jabbed a thumb at the apartment complex behind them.

The redhead glanced between them with stunning crimson eyes before the scowl on his face relaxed just a bit. "Never seen you before. Considering we live in the same goddamn building."

John almost collapsed against Dave but held himself together pretty well considering. "So we're neighbors!" The grin that came to John's face was grin Dave had thought he'd lost. "Um, you're not hurt are you?"

"Nah, fucker got away."

"Right. Um." John glanced to Dave.

"That's a lot of fucking books for one person. Need help carrying them?"

"You..." Karkat's eyes widened in slight realization. "You're in my filmography class."

"Bingo." Dave nodded, though he'd never picked out the redhead before. He was severely wishing he had.

The redhead glanced between the two male's before letting out a soft sigh. "No, I'm meeting a friend anyway. He hates being kept waiting." He offered with a shrug.

"Gamzee?" John ventured, earning a shove in the ribs from Dave.

"Yeah." Karkat narrowed his eyes, looking them over suspiciously. "How'd you fucking know that? You stalking me or something?"

"No! I just, um-"

"He's in our class too." Dave swooped in. "See you guys hanging a lot."

"Y-Yeah that!"

"What-thefuck-ever." Karkat rolled his eyes, hugging his books a little tighter to his chest. "See you around, I guess." And with that, the redhead wandered off down the sidewalk, away from the two who were just dying to follow him.

"Dave." John whined softly once that ginger hair was out of view. "Dave~."

"I know, dude, I know."

"We _have_ to tell the others."

"No. Not till we're sure."

"But it's _Karkat!_ " The raven haired male whined softly, his eyes filling with tears and his mental state close to being a wreck.

"It looked like Karkat. It spoke like Karkat. But that wasn't Karkat, John. That was a _human_."

"But-"

"I fucking know, okay?" Dave hissed suddenly, pressing a hand to his head. "Okay fuck going on the assumption that it is _our_ Karkat, because fucking really what are the goddamn chances of us running into a kid that not only has the same name as that bastard but talks, walks, and looks like him without it actually fucking being him? Fuck." His lips curled over his teeth as he moved to lean a shoulder against John's. "If that is him, John, he obviously has no goddamn clue who we are. Which means, he doesn't remember us, or the game, or what happened to him or our friends."

John stiffened at the realization. "Oh."

"Ex-fucking-actly."

"Oh... Fuck, Dave, Fuck."

"Yeah."

"What do we do?"

The blonde took a deep breath and stood up straight, shifting to stand in front of his best bro and meet his eyes. "Nothing. We do absolutely nothing. Because he's lucky as fucking hell that he doesn't have to live with this shit every day."

"But... It's... Karkat..."

"I'm highly motherfucking aware."

"So that means... Kanaya and Gamzee and... Terezi."

Dave tensed at the name. "It's them but it's not them, do you understand? That Karkat will never be a replacement for _our_ Karkat."

"I-I know that!" John snapped softly, his eyes narrowing at his best bro. "But can't I like... Can't I still talk to him? I don't expect anything out of it. I just! I want..."

The blonde sighed softly, the stiffness in his shoulders softening as he leaned forward, knocking his forehead against John's nose to rest there. "Yeah, I know."

John let out a soft whine, his eyes closing tightly at the tears that threatened to fall. "What do I do?"

"Be you. Maybe the idiot will fall for you all over again." Dave said with a soft smirk, pulling away from the other male.

"You just... But you just said."

"Don't expect him to be the same Karkat. But it's still Karkat. Probably, maybe. I don't fucking know." He grumbled, shaking his head. "Let's find out."

"Okay!" John nodded, wrapping an arm around Dave's shoulders to lead the male toward their original destination.

The chances of them ever finding Karkat in the world was slim to none. Yet there he was. Alive and well. And _human_. It was a second chance. A second chance John was not willing to slip through his fingers. For all they knew, Karkat had some memories of his past life, and unsurprisingly enough, he _did_. Memories that haunted his dreams. Memories he never understood. Memories sparked from the moment he saw the shades wearing blonde in his class. Memories that would come flooding back the more time he spent in their presence.

It was only the beginning, however. The beginning of a whole new world and a whole new chance at a happy life. Fate seemed to be in their favor as it should be, considering they created the world after all. Though, John and Dave were both surprised to find Karkat at Papa's Pizzeria with the tall lanky dark toned male they both picked out to be Gamzee. Yeah, Fate was on their side this time.

**Author's Note:**

> This may or may not get continued? If it does, it'd be like I did with my Jearmin zombie au. Seperate parts in a series that I update when I feel up to it. But we'll see. Do you think I should even bother to continue? Let me know what you think, that'd be really great.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> ~Addy~


End file.
